Watch, jewellery, clothes: How Delhi police put names to the dead

NEW DELHI: The death of 17 people in the blaze at Hotel Arpit Palace in Karol Bagh on Tuesday placed a first-ofits-kind challenge on Delhi Police as not only were the guests from different corners of the country and abroad, but their identity documents had been misplaced or gutted.

A relatively new technique, disaster victim identification (DVI), came to the police’s rescue. They used watches and jewellery and verified pictures of the victims through Facebook and WhatsApp to accomplish the task. DVI is a process wherein the identity of many people who have died in a single incident is established using scientifically-proven techniques.

The technique is used in mass casualty incidents by police forces in western countries. DCP (central) Mandeep Randhawa formed a special team comprising his deputy Amit Sharma, ACP Surender Dahiya, inspectors Virender Jain, Mahender Singh and others for this purpose. The team used a step-by-step procedure to identify each of the 17 victims and provided counselling to their kin. The team also provided assistance to the survivors. “Helpdesks were setup near the hotel and at the three hospitals where the dead and injured had been taken to coordinate with their families. Translators from within the force and outside were roped in for people who couldn’t speak Hindi or English,” said an officer.

The identification features on the bodies, many of which were charred beyond recognition, were noted and their photographs taken. The team also used the mobile numbers of the victims in tracking their Facebook profiles and matched the photographs provided by the family. “The kin were first counselled and made at ease. They were then showed pictures of clothes, jewellery and watches to identify the bodies. All details were also mentioned in the MLC reports. Finally, they were taken to the mortuary for physical verification,” the officer added.

While a man was identified from a watch, a woman’s identity became known through her jewellery. Another woman was identified through her bracelet. Police also recorded the statements of two relatives as witnesses. After identifying 16 victims, the bodies were sent for autopsy. A DNA study will be conducted for the unidentified victim. The survivors were issued temporary identity cards for travel. Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik has appreciated DCP Randhawa’s efforts.